The Life I've Always Wanted
by Bella Lyn
Summary: MODERN:Christine is a ballerina in New York City. Erik is a star of the Opera hiding behind a mask few can see. When Christine gets the chance to perform in the opera with Erik they both realize how much was missing from their lives before. Fluffy and fun
1. Chapter 1

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Author's Note:

Hey Everyone! I just started writing fanfiction after reading it for a year or two so bear with me. So this story is supposed to be a modern retelling of the movie version of Phantom with a few slight changes (like the fact that it is set nearly 100 years later!) and I am trying to make it funny but I am not sure how my humor will tanslate, so again please don't hate me. I'm pretty excited about this story, although the first chapter will be a lttle short because I need to get it started but I don't want to give everything away at the beginning. I guess that's pretty much it! PLEASE REVIEW... I may have just started writing but I know that reviews are good!! Thank You

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything except the plot, and most of that is from the movie/books anyway!

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One: Fred

Christine Daae walked the ten feet of hallway that separated the elevator from her apartment door. Although it was only a few steps until she was inside where she could lie down and rest, Christine was considering just sitting in the hallway to rest for an hour or two, maybe a day… a week if necessary. After all why walk ten steps when there was a nice comfy floor to lay down on right here? _Comfy floor... yeah okay_, thought Christine as she pulled herself out of that fantasy and trudged along. Her feet were extremely sore from the practice she and the rest of the New York City Ballet Company had been through that day. A year of working with the company so far and she still felt dead at the end of a practice.

After what seemed like an eternity, Christine reached the door and let herself into the front hall of her New York apartment. She stumbled into the room and allowed her eyes to adjust to the bright light from her home. Once her eyes had adjusted she shuffled her way through the various rooms, passing the entertainment room, the kitchen, and the dining room before reaching her bedroom_. Okay, _she thought, _you made it. Now all you have to do is feed Fred and get into bed. _She looked over at the fishbowl that sat atop her bureau and noticed that her goldfish of two days, Fredrick Henry (otherwise known as Fred), was still alive. Keeping a goldfish alive would be an easy task for any normal person, however Christine seemed to have difficulties in that department. Usually her fishy friends would last two weeks at the most, however, Christine never lost hope. _Besides,_ she thought, _I get lonely here all alone, and Fred is nice to have around. Granted he isn't the greatest conversationalist but he's better than nothing. _

After giving Fred his food and changing out of her ballet garg, Christine crawled into bed and pulled the covers over her head. Despite her physical fatigue, Christine was mentally alert and doubted that she would be able to fall asleep soon. Her mind tried to replay the news that had been given by the director of the ballet company, Sheryl, at the end of practice. Christine had been in such a rush to get home to her warm bed that she only heard what was being said and had not really processed the information. _That was definitely one of your better ideas Christine, _she mentally chided herself, _I mean afterall, she is only your boss, no need to listen to annoncements she makes! Stupid Stupid Stupid. Well you got yourself into this, now think and remember what the heck she said!_ Hmmm. _Well there was something about our plans for the next couple of weeks... **great start genius now what else?! **Did she say something about snow? **In the middle of July? I don't think so, try again. **Oh! Show, it was about a show! _

Slowly Christine's mind tried to put together the fragments she had heard and what she remembered now. However, all she could sumise was that the ballet company was going to be in a show soon, which was obvious since that was their job, in fact during her first and only year so far they had performed in 3 other shows. _It must have been a different kind of show otherwise why mention it? Oh well, I guess I will just ask Meg tomorrow when we meet for lunch. _

The mental battle with herself left Christine tired and drained of any more thought. With quieting breaths she quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry the last chapter was so short! I went back and edited a few things to make it a little longer but that is all I can do for that chapter. Also, I know the chapters aren't very funny yet, I'm trying, but there is a lot of serious things that I have to talk about so this isn't easy. I'm trying! Honest!

**BY THE WAY! I know that this chapter only had a disclaimer up before, sorry about that! I am still trying to figure out everything, but I think I have it now! Sorry again!**

**Disclaimer: **This is the last time I am putting this on because it is redundant, but I do not own any characters. I only own the plot or at least the plot that you do not recognize from the original works.

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Two: Wake Up Call

Christine woke up either one of two ways every morning. The first way was that she would hear her alarm go off, and groggily pull herself out of bed in a bad mood, with her hair looking like a bomb went off (and yes her hair always looked like a bomb went off, it was just the way it was in the morning). The second way was that she would rise on her own time (having not heard the alarm when it went off earlier), in a very good mood. Of course, on days when she woke up the second way, the fact that she was now late (possibly by hours) for whatever it was she needed to do, was always sure to put her in a bad mood. It was safe to say that Christine was never in a good mood in the mornings.

This particular morning, Christine woke up the second way. Rising slowly in the bed while stretching her arms, Christine casually looked around the room and subconsciously took account of everything. _Fred still alive, check. Phone charging on table, check_. _Desk, bureau, bookcase, check, check, check. _She then glanced at the mirror that hung across the room from her bed. Christine had never thought of her appearance the way others did. People had called her stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, but she either didn't believe them or didn't want to hear it. She didn't believe the boys in school who had called her beautiful in the hopes of getting her to date them. She didn't want to hear her friends tell her how stunning she was, because to her it meant nothing.

Now staring in the mirror she thought about what people saw when they looked at her. Curly chestnut colored hair that reached the middle of her back, blue eyes, a small nose with a couple of freckles. There was nothing really remarkable to look at she thought. Her eyes traveled down further to her body. Normal sized chest , tiny waist, long legs that were toned from dancing. If you were to ask Christine she would tell you that she was a pretty ordinary looking girl.

Her mind wandered to her plans for the day as she stepped out of bed and headed towards the shower. _Well, I have off from work for the rest of the week so I don't have to worry about that... what was it that I had to do, I know there was something. _She glanced at the clock on her bathroom wall wondering what time it was. _11:30... I slept pretty late, must have been more tired than I thought. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up so late trying to remember what Sheryl said. I have to remember to call Meg and..._ Christine's eyes grew wide as she remembered her lunch plans with Meg. _Dammit Christine, now you have 15 minutes to get ready and drive all the way across town!!_ Sure enough, Christine was now in a horrible mood as she took a quick shower, ripped a comb through her still knotty hair, pulled on a pair of pants and a t-shirt from the ballet company, and ran out the door. She called the elevator to her floor and stood there pressing the button 3 or 4 times more, hoping to make the thing move faster. _Come on you stupid piece of metal! _Finally the elevator doors swung open and Christine practically sprinted in and began pressing the first floor button 20 times.

Two minutes later Christine ran through the front doors of the apartment building and routed out a cab to hail. The one positive thing she had to say about her looks was that she never had much trouble getting a cab with them. Within 20 seconds a sketchy looking driver was pulling up next to her with screeching breaks and a big toothy grin.

"How's ya doin miss? Where can I take ya?"He asked with a suggestive movement of his eyebrows. _Charming, _thought Christine.

"I need to get to the little cafe at the corner of 7th and Broadway if you don't mind. And please hurry I'm running really late!" Said Christine as she slid into the back seat.

"Sure thing miss, there ain't much traffic today anyways 'cause of the big football game on in an hour."The driver replied. _Well at least something is going right, _thought Christine.

_That's funny, I forgot today was football Sunday, I haven't watched football in years! _The big football fan in the family had been her father, and even though Christine had always enjoyed watching the games with him, that tradition had died around the same time he had. The thought alone was enough to choke Christine and she hastily pushed the thought from her mind.

The truth was, Christine avoided thinking about her father whenever possible. He had been a large part of her life, and when he died several years before from a terminal illness Christine couldn't even pronounce, she knew that a piece of her had died as well. She became an orphan the day he died. Her mother had died when she was 7 months old in a fatal car crash. Her death was what had brought Christine so close to her father because her father tried to make up for Christine not having both parents. He wasn't the best shopping partner, Christine often thought, but he was perfect at everything else. He had been a violinist in a very well known orchestra, and he had taught Christine to appreciate music at a young age. She turned out to be a natural, and learned everything from piano, to violin, and even some guitar. What she really excelled at though, was singing.

Christine had always planned with her father that she would study vocals in college and someday have a profession in singing, but when her father died, she found it too painful to continue training without him. Instead she continued ballet practice which she had been taking for years with Meg, and succeeded due to her natural talent. At the time it just seemed easier to have a career in ballet. Luckily for her Meg had always been very serious about ballet, and they ended up working together for the same ballet company. Christine felt that without Meg, she would never have made it through the time after her father's death, and would not even have had the job she had today without her. _Where exactly am I today though? _thought Christine. _It's not like it's my dream to be a ballerina, and I haven't exactly gotten over my father's death. _She hoped that in time the sadness she felt when she thought of her father would go away and in its place would be happy memories. For now though, she knew it was too soon.

Christine was pulled out of her reverie as the cab approached a very quaint outdoor cafe with a very angry blond standing on the sidewalk. _Uh oh, _thought Christine as she saw the look on Meg's face. She suddenly had a mental picture of Meg attacking her with very sharp claws. She shook her head to get rid of the image, but the look on Meg's face didn't go away.

"Do you know how long I have been standing here waiting?!"asked Meg in a voice that Christine had come to know as the "don't mess with me" voice. Christine didn't want to get caught checking her watch because she knew better than to do that in front of Meg, but she also didn't want to try to guess because Meg would probably think she was joking around. Instead she took the cowards' approach.

"Um... look Meg I must have slept through my alarm and so I got a late start and the cab driver was giving me strange looks and I uh... I'm sorry?"Christine's rambling was clearly not working because it seemed as if Meg had gotten taller as she was now towering over Christine, still angry. _Think Christine, before she hurts you! "__Uh... _I'll pay for lunch!"_No stupid! Think of something else, your already broke! Oh crap it's too late, she's smiling! RUN FOR IT! _Before she could take a step backwards Meg was pulling her into the cafe to order and thanking her for being so _generous_.

After ordering their lunches and finding a table outside in the sun to wait for their food to come, Christine and Meg started chatting about little things. "My mother called yesterday and told me to remind you to come for Labor Day Weekend," said Meg.

"I'd love to go, I haven't seen your mom in a while," replied Christine, "but what's going on that weekend?"

Meg's mother had always been like a mother to Christine, even more so after her father's death. She was now expected to come to every holiday and family party and was treated as if she were Meg's sister. Christine felt like she owed a lot to the Giry family, a debt which she could never repay, and knew she wasn't expected to.

"Nothing special, but my mom knows we have off from work that weekend and she wants to take advantage of it,"replied Meg.

"Okay, that should be fun**,"** said Christine. "Speaking of work, I meant to ask you, did you hear what Sheryl was talking about yesterday at the end of practice? I kind of missed it."

Meg gave her a funny look, and replied, "I was wondering why you weren't more excited today, considering this is right up your alley."

"What do you mean?" asked Christine.

"Well Sheryl was saying that the next performance we do isn't going to be our own, but we are going to be working with the New York Opera House. They apparently are putting on a show with a lot of ballet parts, so we are all going to have a part in it," responded Meg. "Our company works with the Opera House sometimes for shows like this when the Opera needs ballerinas, but they haven't needed us for a few years now."

Christine's mouth had been hanging open since Meg had said the four magic words... New York Opera House. Christine couldn't believe it, she was going to actually be in an opera, or at least in a show in the opera house. Meg was right, this was what she had always wanted, but she suddenly felt sad thinking of her father and the connection she had with him and singing. She suddenly felt like she was going to be sick. How could she work in the Opera House for months and be so close to the life she had always wanted but not be able to do what she really wanted; to sing. She knew this would be hard, after all she had such mixed emotions about it now and they hadn't even started yet! Somehow though she knew she had to do this, if not because she needed to keep her job, then because she needed to somehow get over this complex she had. She would get through this, she just didn't know how.

After eating their lunch and sitting back and enjoying the sun for an hour or two, Christine and Meg hailed a cab back to Christine's apartment where they spent the day watching movies and hanging out with one another, something it seemed they never had time for anymore. When Meg left the apartment and Christine was cleaning up, she thought again about the show they would be performing with the Opera House. She had been thinking about it all day in fact, in between movies and popcorn, even during the movie! She couldn't stop thinking about it. She had decided that she was going to deal with whatever sadness she felt from working with the Opera House, after all, her father wanted this life for her. He would be happy! Maybe that was why this was so hard. _Well your just going to have to suck it up Christine, unless you want to get fired which would be completely illogical anyway because you know you want to do this, _Christine chided herself. _Honestly,_ she thought, _you can be such a baby sometimes!_ She was starting to have a good feeling about the show. Somehow she knew that this would be good for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Thanks for the reviews on the last few chapters! They have been helpful in fixing my story which I stil feel is off to a bit of a rocky start, but I think this chapter should have it going.

**By the Way: **This chapter is going to be from the perspective of Erik! YAY he's finally in the story! I just want to make sure you understand it is his point of view, otherwise you will think Christine has had a sex change operation of something and let's face it that would not be a pretty sight to behold.

This chapter isn't quite finished yet, but my mom just had a baby and I am needed so I will have to finish in a little while...in case anyone happens to read this...there's more! promise

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Three: Erik

Erik Destler's eyes scanned the stage in the theatre on Monday morning right before practice. The ballet company that would be appearing in the Opera House's new show had just arrived, although Erik had overheard a blond girl from the ballet complain that "Christine was late again!"

Erik hated when people were late, but being late for the first day of practice for a new show was unheard of! This Christine girl was probably some stuck up princess who thought she could make an appearance whenever she wanted to! Erik groaned inwardly at the thought of the annoying ballet girls he would have to deal with for the next couple of months. Already they had proved themselves to be one large pain in the butt, and Erik was not thinking about the Christine girl alone. That morning within 20 minutes of the ballet's arrival, Erik had been faced with three giggling girls attempting to flirt with him! _Ironic, _he thought, _they wouldn't be flirting with me if they saw my real face._

The face most people saw when they looked at Erik was not actually real. He had been born with a distortion that left half of his face marred, bumpy, red, and just generally unpleasant to look at. The countless "reparative" surgeries he had been forced to have as a child hadn't done much to help either, and in fact, had left his face even more uneven and blotchy than before. Through his teenage years he went around witha white porcelain mask that he realized only helped to scare people, not distract them from his deformity. He eventually came up with the idea of a mask that was the same exact color of his skin, and he had built it to form to his face in a way that matched the good looking side of his face to make him look completely normal. That's not to say that the mask was perfect. You could still see the line of it near Erik's hairline, and in pure sunlight, you could clearly see the color differences between the mask and his face, but the effect indoors was rather realistic.

It was because of this mask that Erik generally tried to stay away from people, and therefore was considered not very social in the Opera House. Unfortunately for him, most woman he met immediately took it upon themselves to flirt their brains out with him, _if they even had any brains to begin with, _Erik mused. He disliked the shallow woman that talked to him, because it showed they were easily deceived by appearances, and Erik's appearance was definitely deceiving. Erik wanted to find a woman that would accept his deformity and still love him and want to be with him.

_Hmm, well you might have to lower your standards a bit buddy, considering you haven't found a girl like that yet. Erik 0, mask 1._

Erik was pulled from his thoughts by the unmistakable sound of running coming from the aisle and heading towards the stage. _Ah, this must be the elusive Christine, _he thought turning around. The sight he saw was enough to make him forget his anger, his annoyance, hell he even forgot his name.

Joining the group of ballerina's on the stage and panting slightly from her recent sprint down the aisle, was the most beautiful person Erik had ever seen before. She seemed to be slightly above average height, maybe at 5 foot 7, but she had a very small waist. Her legs were long and graceful and Erik couldn't help but think how beautiful she must be when she danced. He looked up to take in her face again. It was so beautiful, almost like an angel's, and covered by a mass a chestnut curls that seemed to have a life of their own, yet in a way, they came together to form something gorgeous. The features on her face were breathtaking too Erik thought! Her eyes were large and filled with the lightest blue Erik could imagine. Her nose was very tiny and seemed to have a few characteristic freckles on it which Erik thought looked very endearing. Her mouth was a naturally stained berry color and seemed to turn upwards slightly giving the appearance of a smile even when she wasn't. Lastly, Erik's eyes grazed over her skin and he had the sudden, uncontrollable urge to touch it. It looked so soft and seemed as if she were draped in silk.

_Oh boy, I'm in trouble, _thought Erik. He was going to have a hard time working withsomeone that stunning, he could already tell. Just looking at her he felt his feet stick to the floor, his tongue stuck to the rook of his mouth, his hands broke out in a sweat and he felt like he needed a glass of water! How was he going to perform? He was the lead male part in the show and he was going to have to perform with her?! _Definitely not good! _he thought.

Erik was musing over his predicament when he noticed the director of the Opera's shows coming down the aisle heading towards the ballerina's who were lounging on the stage. _All except Christine, _Erik noticed. Christine was in fact not lounging around but instead was stretching out her limbs while she sat next to the chatty blonde who had complained of her absence earlier; Meg. _I suppose they are friends, _Erik thought. Erik watched the director (whose name was Paul) approach the stage and clear his throat to gain the attention of the ballet.

_He's probably going to tell them about the show now, _Erik realized. He had heard that the ballet had yet to know what the show was going to be and he had come down to the theatre early for the very purpose of examining his new co-workers and seeing their reaction when they found out what the show was. Erik had heard what show would be performed about a week ago when he heard that he would be playing the lead. They wouldn't be performing an opera this season which was a little bizarre, but instead they would be putting on a show in honor of its 25th year anniversary on-stage. Erik thought it was extremely ironic that he was being asked to play the main character in this particular show, but he was also very excited about playing the character because he knew he could take the part far.

Erik focused his attention back on Paul who had been starting an introduction of himself and of the values of the Opera House, subtly hinting that he would not put up with any nonsense. Eventually his speech winded down and he said the words the ballet seemed to have been waiting for all morning.

"I would now like to tell you the name of the show we will all be working on. Although this is not in typical Opera style, we will be performing the play The Phantom of the Opera to celebrate its 25th anniversary on-stage!

Erik looked to Christine's face again as soon as Paul said the words "The Phantom of the Opera". For some reason, Erik was extremely interested in what her reaction would be. Deep down, he wanted her to be excited, he wanted her to appreciate the play and to have some interest in it like he did. What he really wanted was for them to have something in common. As he watched he saw Christine's face light up at the words. She seemed to be grinning now and was genuinely excited he could tell. Perhaps they did have something in common.

The members of the ballet were all talking amongst themselvesexcitedly. They all seemed to know the play and generally seemed pleased at the idea of performing in it. To start the day off Paul decided to have the ballerina's do a small dance on-stage so that he could determine who would get the bigger parts and who would dance in the background, both of which were important to the show. He asked them to perform a dance number that had been in the last ballet they had performed, and he quickly had the pianist sit down at the piano to play the required score.

Erik's eyes didn't leave Christine's figure as she took her place towards the front of the group and waited for her cue. _At least the ballet directors have good sense to put the most beautiful girl up front where the whole world can enjoy her, _thought Erik. He tried to sit back in his seat to enjoy the little show, but he was so excited to see his Christine dance that he found himself on the edge of the seat gripping onto the railing in front of him waiting for the dance to start. He thought that the pianist was playing to slowly, which in turn was preventing the dance from ever beginning, and Erik was close to jumping down there and playing the song himself, when suddenly they started.

If Erik had thought that Christine was beautiful before, than he thought she was absolutely perfect now. She was easily the best dancer on the stage, even next to her blond friend who was definitely good as well. Christine however shone through the group and Erik was mesmerized as he watched her body move so gracefully as if she were a piece of ribbon floating every which way. The dance ended and Erik noticed his mouth was hanging open slightly and that he was beginning to drool slightly at the corner_. You are disgusting_! he thought_. What next, are you going to run up to her begging her to rub you belly and play fetch you dog_?! **You know, having her rub your belly doesn't sound like such a bad idea, **Erik thought, perking up at the mental image of it. _Oh, shut up! _


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Once again thanks to anyone who is reading this. On a side note, I have been updating this as often as I can so there should generally be new stuff to read.

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Four: Stalker?

The ballet was dismissed shortly after their "audition" for the rest of the day, and Erik watched with something of a heavy heart as Christine gathered her things together and prepared to leave. For some reason, even though he was sure to see her tomorrow at the next practice, Erik couldn't let Christine leave him this soon after finding her. He wanted to watch her a little more, learn more about her. There was something that drawed him to her and he couldn't pull back.

Erik quickly left his hiding place from the shadows in the back of the theatre and searched for the director who had left to find the ticket sales manager 10 minutes before. Thinking quickly Erik tried to develop an excuse that would allow him to leave. He didn't know what he was going to do but he wanted to keep Christine in his sight just a little longer.

Erik found Paul in the front lobby ready to walk to his office, and he quickly approached him. "Hey Paul, I needed to ask you something," Erik said, praying that this would work.

"Sure Erik, what's on your mind?" Paul asked, geniuely interested. Erik was one of his main stars in nearly every production, and even though he tended to show his strong temper every now and then, Erik was generally a really great guy to work with, and Paul admired him a lot.

"Well, it's nothing serious, but something has come up and I would really appreciate it if I could leave to go take care of things," Erik tried to explain.

"Uh... yeah sure Erik. You probably already have the music mostly memorized anyway, so I'm not even worried about you. You can take off, I hope things work out!" replied Paul. He knew that Erik wouldn't ask for time off unless there really was something he needed to do, besides what he said was true, Erik probably did have all the music memorized. He was just very dedicated that way.

"Thanks a lot Paul, I really do appreciate this!" Erik gushed. He felt slightly guilty about leaving before his practice had even begun, but he felt excited about the prospect of seeing Christine more.

_You don't even know her and now you are going to...wait what exactly is it that you are planning on doing? You can't just approach her and start gushing! Think of how creepy that would be! She has no idea who you are! Besides you would probably start drooling in front of her and then she would just be grossed out!_

Erik's mental battle with himself was cut short as he noticed movement coming from the door that led to and from the theatre room. For some reason his first instinct was to hide behind the pillar that stood near him, making him feel even more guilty about the whole thing.

_I can't believe your hiding you idiot! Now this is ridiculous! What do you expect to happen between the two of you if you jump behind the nearest, largest object whenever she walks into a room? **I don't expect anything to happen, I just want to watch her a little.** This has got to be, without a doubt, the creepiest thing you have ever done!_

Christine was walking out the front door of the Opera House and Erik scrambled from his hiding place to catch up, while still maintaining a decent distance from her.

_Well, you took off from work to follow her around, you might as well do it before you lose your chance and make this whole exercise pointless. _Erik thought to himself as he watched Chrisine hail a cab.

It didn't surprise Erik one bit when he saw a cab driver pull up near Christine, only seconds after she raised her arm to call for one. _If I were a cab driver, I would definitely stop for her in a second, _he mused. Deciding it was now or never, Erik hailed a cab as well, making up his mind that he would follow her. However, hailing a cab was a slightly more difficult task for Erik considering he was a man and most cab drivers in the vicinity were preoccupied with the departing ballerinas that were exiting the Opera House. Scared of losing sight of Christine's cab, which was paused at the street light ahead, Erik pushed his way through a crowd, and nearly threw himself into a cab that had not even stopped moving yet.

"Jesus buddy, what d'ya think yer doin there?" exclaimed the very angry cab driver as Erik jumped in.

"I need you to follow that car up there," Erik nearly growled, pointing directly at the car Christine was in so that there was no confusion on which cab should be followed.

"Yer serious? You want me to follow a car? What is this, are ya in a mob or something? Ya got to be joking, or crazy, or both!" exclaimed the driver.

"Look the person in that car has grabbed something of mine by accident and I have something of their's," Erik quickly lied. _You know, you are getting far too good at this, _he thought. "I don't want to lose sight of their cab because I don't know where they live or where they are going, so put your foot on the gas and move it! Erik nearly shouted when he reached the last part of his rant/lie.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" replied the cab driver, who was seriously wondering to himself why he didn't refuse to drive the threatening man. It was clearly in his right's to refuse to drive the man anywhere, much less on a car chase to God only knows where! For some reason though, he could sense that there was more to it than to just retrieve some belonging as the man had claimed was the purpose. That reason was what gave him the initiative to put his foot on the gas pedal as was demanded of him, and he took off down the street in pursuit of a cab.

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Ten minutes later on the west end of town, Erik saw Christine's cab slow down to a stop in front of what appeared to be an apartment building. _Well. you've done it Erik, you followed Christine, found out where she lived, and made yourself a stalker all within ten minutes. You should get a badge, but I'm afriad the boy scouts don't have Stalker badges. _

Erik thanked the cab driver profusely and gave him an extra tip for complying to his ridiculous demand. He knew the driver was going to want to see him talk to the person they just chased to see if his story was true about switching items, but Erik didn't care. He saw Christine enter the building 100 feet from where he was standing, and he followed. He had an idea mapped out in his head of what he would do, and he knew that under no circumstances should Christine see him.

He saw her get into the elevator and smiled as he noticed that above the elevator was a little display with the floor numbers that would light up when the elevator reached a certain floor. The first phase in his plan was going well. He pressed the call button, hoping the elevator would come down after dropping Christine off on her floor. By doing this he would see the last floor that the elevator stopped at before coming down to his floor, which would be where Christine was.

When the little 10 lighted up above the elevator, and then started to come down to floors 9, 8, and so on, Erik knew where Christine was. He ran out the doors of the apartment complex, no longer caring about the elevator, and looked onto the side of the building where he hoped there would be fire escapes. He was in luck, and without a second thought he reached up and climbed onto the first floor landing. He then climbed the stairs of the fire escape until he reached what he was sure had to be floor 10. The apartment building was narrow which meant that only one or two apartments could be on each floor, and Erik prayed that these windows were Christine's. He knew that she would already be in her home if this was truly it, so he peered in and waited to see her.

He noticed while looking in the windows, that the apartment was very nice. It wasn't designed to be trendy of show-offy which Erik liked, but it gave off a feeling of comfort and beauty. The room was a light blue color (_the same color as her eyes! _he thought) and there were a few dark brown couches that contrasted nicely. In addition, the room seemed to give off a very feminine feeling even though the furniture was simple and non-descript. There were many paintings on the walls that Erik did not recognize, and after noticing an easel sitting in a corner, Erik was delighted to realize that Christine must have painted a few of them herself. _Beautiful, talented dancer, and now talented artist! She just keeps getting better! Meanwhile, your sitting outside on a fire escape looking through windows you hope are hers, and spying on her, when you haven't even had a conversation yet! Does anything about this seem wrong to you, because I guaruntee that the New York Police Department would find quite a few things wrong!!_

Erik's thoughts were cut off as he noticed movement coming from what seemed to be the hallway, and as he gazed in that direction he felt his stomach leap into his mouth. _Christine!_ Sure enough, Christine was walking gracefully into the room Erik was calling the entertainment room. Erik was so excited that he had been successful in his quest that he almost didn't notice her attire, that is until she started to move from one foot to another in a little dance that she seemed to not even notice she was doing across the floor. Erik's eyes grew wide as he realized she was wearing only underwear! Well not exactly underwear, it was more like boy short panties and a tank top with a cute little teddy bear on the front, but none the less, Erik could feel himself getting warmer in the already warm July night.

She looked amazing, and Erik couldn't help the urge he suddenly had to go in and grab her, but he knew that he would most likely be arrested if he gave in.

Instead, Erik continued to watch as she made a small dinner for herself and sat on the couch to watch a movie. He noticed what movie it was immediately and gave a little grin. _So she is a Phantom of the Opera fan afterall, _he thought as the movie showed the opening scene in the abandoned Opera House.

He watched her become immersed in the film and smiled when he saw her mouthing the words to the songs. She could have been singing them, but Erik couldn't hear from behind the window. A thought popped into Erik's head as he watched, and he was amused as he noticed that Christine shared a name with the main character of the movie. He thought further on to remember the irony he felt when he was chosen to play the Phantom in the production the Opera House would be putting on. _So you both identify with the main characters, so what? It's not as if this is a sign and she will fall in love with you! Besides in the movie she leaves the Phantom for pretty boy, so wipe that grin off your face!_

Erik became a little sad after thinking that, and with one last glance at Christine who was still wide awake, caught up in the movie she clearly loved, he climbed down the fire escape and hailed a cab to drive him home. _Are you satisfied now? You've seen her in her underwear and you watched her from a window. Can't you just forget about all of this and drop it? After all, you can't continue to do this, it's just plain creepy! _Erik thought on the way back home. Despite his mixed feelings about the whole situation, and his digust with himself, Erik still could hardly wait for practice tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this! I really enjoy hearing some of the things you guys say about the characters and such because when I'm writing about them they seem so different than when I re-read the chapter! I'm posting as quickly as I can and I hope no one loses interest! Erik and Christine will meet face to face very soon!

**By The Way: **This chapter will be split between Erik and Christine's point of view, just because you need to hear some things from Christine, but in order for the chapter to have any sustenance I need to put Erik in as well! Just a head's up. Christine will be first.

* * *

Five:

On the first day of rehersal in the Opera House, Christine woke up the second way, the way in which she ignores her alarm and then wakes up late and in a scramble. While she was packing her ballet shoes and throwing a sweater into her bag, she thought about the situation for what she promised herself to be the last time.

She had come to the conclusion the night before, on her last night off, that she was okay with working in the Opera House. What good was it to her, or her father's memory, for her to throw away her dreams? It was too late now to become a singer, and somehow she was okay with that, it made the whole transition easier. But one thing was certain, and that was that she would try her best to be an excellent dancer and a necessary part of the Opera's production. Whatever that was.

Her thoughts were then turned to the mysterious show that would be produced. She had been dying all weekend to find out what the show would be, and had in fact resorted to calling Sheryl once or twice to casually ask if she had heard any news. Sheryl had been told what the show was on Sunday, but she would not tell any of the ballet members because she wanted them all to be surprised.

Christine liked surprises when they took her by surprise, but she hated when she knew there was a secret but wasn't allowed to know what it was. This was one of those times, and she had been eagerly looking forward to Monday when she would finally find out. _Of course you just had to be late today didn't you? Of all days, why oh why did it have to be today?! Now they won't even want you in the show! Everyone at the Opera House will think you are some spoiled diva who thinks she can waltz right in and run the show! And your only in the ballet!! No one cares what you think, your just there to dance. _Christine thought frantically to herself as she quickly fed Fred and ran out the door and down to the street.

After hailing a cab and making it to the Opera House 20 minutes late, Christine ran through the front doors and sprinted to the doors where she was pretty sure the theatre was. Normally she would have been a little nervous and shy walking down towards the stage on her first day working with new people, but today she was a madwoman, with an intent to make it to the group of ballerinas in as little time as possible. Her solution to this was to sprint down the aisle and practically fling herself onto the stage. She sat down next to Meg as gracefully as she could after that in an attempt to prove that she wasn't a basketcase to the whole ballet who were all staring at her.

"Where were you, we all arrived 20 minutes ago!" whispered Meg as Christine began to tie up her ballet shoes. Christine knew this particular question was coming as soon as she got to the Opera House.

"I overslept again! It's becoming a real problem now that I have to get to the other side of town for practice here, but for some reason my alarm won't wake me up anymore, it's like it's not loud enough which is crazy because I'm a light sleeper! I don't know what to do! Christine whispered back to Meg.

Christine noticed a man coming down the aisle towards the stage. She realized that the Opera House was running late today too, seeing as nothing had been done yet. That was good at least.

"I think I have an idea to fix your problem," Meg quickly whispered as the man got closer and started to clear his throat for attention. "I'll tell you when this is all over, before you leave."

Christine nodded a quick "Ok" and turned her attention onto the man who had begun to introduce himself as Paul, the director of the show. Christine would have been paying close attention to his speech to listen for the name of the show, however for five minutes he only talked about the respect and consideration he expected to be shown throughout the practices for the next few months.

She finally snapped into attention as she heard him say, "I would now like to tell you the name of the show we will be performing. Although it is not in typical opera style, we will be performing The Phantom of the Opera, to celebrate its 25 anniversary on-stage!"

Christine could swear she was about to faint. The Phantom of the Opera! Her favorite broadway play and musical since she was 5 years old. She had always felt badly for the Phantom, and despite the kindness of the character Roaul, had always wanted the main character Christine to end up with the Phantom. More to the point though, ever since she had seen its performance on broadway, she had wanted to be in it. Now her dream was coming true, although not in the way she originally pictured it; as a singer.

She immediately wondered who would be playing the Phantom, but this was not mentioned by Paul. In her mind, the person playing the part of the Phantom had to be a number of things. Talented of course, but mysterious, passionate, devoted, not to mention sexy. She felt that a good Phantom was always sexy. _It's not like your opinion of a good Phantom really matters, _she logically thought to herself. _They don't care if a ballerina thinks the actor for the Phantom role is good or not, and they definitely don't care if you think he is sexy or not!_

Christine was pulled back to attention by the ballet director Sheryl telling them to get into position to perform a small number from the last ballet they had put on. This little show was going to serve as an audition of sorts so that ballerinas could be chosen for the different roles. She was excited all of a sudden. For the particular dance they were performing, she was in the front center, sort of like a solo part, and she was glad that she could show it off here, where she felt it really counted. She had, after all, promised herself to do her best, and that meant getting a good part.

The music started coming from a piano that Christine noticed was on the far right of the stage. The song was a little slow to begin with, but the pianist was dragging out certain parts unnecessarily. Finally the cue came and Christine leaped and jumped around the stage. When they had finished she was slightly out of breath, as she always was after a performance, but she was proud because she knew she had done very well. She knew that Paul and other various Opera House employees were watching her to judge her performance, but for some reason she couldn't escape the feeling that someone else was watching as well.

When the ballet was eventually dismissed, Meg approached Christine and told her the idea she had to help wake Christine up. She took Christine's cell phone out of Christine's bag and pressed the record button. After silently clearing her throat, she yelled into the phone "**_Christine Dubrow if you don't wake up this second, I will come in there and get you! GET UP!" _**"There you go," she said handing Christine her phone when she had finished. "Just set that as your alarm on full volume and you will wake up every time"

Christine took her phone and smiled widely at her crazy blond friend. "I have to go, I'm exhausted," Christine told Meg. She hadn't realized how long practice had been, but it was now 7:00 at night! She decided that going home, having some dinner, and watching the movie, The Phantom of the Opera, was exactly what she needed right now. She went home happier than she had been in weeks.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So your not confused, this is Erik's point of view

Erik had gone to practice early Tuesday morning. He felt like he had to make up for leaving early the day before, but also, he usually liked to come early so that he could spend some time in the theatre without anyone around. He loved the theatre, he lived for music and the arts, but he did sometimes regret that his passion of performing came with a price. His coworkers. He did not dislike people in general, but it was a well known fact that people in the music industry sometimes had big heads, and the woman who played the lead female parts in most of the Opera's was a perfect example of this. She adored herself to put it simply, and she would do anything to get her own way. Normally Erik had to practice with her, seeing as they were both the leads, so he took every opportunity to escape her and practice on his own.

Erik didn't know it, but she had not been cast as the lead for this show. She was as Paul put it "not exactly suited to play the role of Christine Daae" which was completely understandable considering she was a Portugese woman of 40 with a very high shrieking voice that sounded nothing like the sweet, pure voice of the character of Christine Daae.

As Erik played the piano his mind drifted. He recalled his "activities" the night before with distaste now. _Why did you have to follow her home?_ he asked himself. _You will see her today, you don't even know her and you are following her across town and watching her through her window late at night!_

When he had returned home the night before he was shocked. How did that happen, he wondered. How did it get that far. He felt like a bigger freak than he ever had before because of his face. _At least this humiliation is not related to my face, and at least no one knows about what happened besides me._

Erik continued playing for hours, until people from the Opera company started filing into the theatre. They were all used to Erik being at practice before anyone else, and he was usally playing the piano, so it was nothing new to anyone. He eventually stopped when there seemed to be about 20 people he knew just standing around talking waiting for practice to begin.

He was excited for practice today. The ballet was not coming for another hour yet because Paul wanted to get some preliminary work done on the actors roles, but Erik knew that he and Christine would at least see each other face to face today, if not actually meet. He would be onstage, singing as the Phantom, and she would walk in and hear him, then see him. At least, that was the scenario that kept replaying in his mind. Erik was determined to be singin his best when Christine arrived, he wanted to impress her right away.

Erik took a seat and started counting the minutes that passed while Paul started the practice.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm still considering adding more to this chapter, but I don't want it to be long. I'll post this now, and maybe add to it. If not you will see the new chapter soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all the reviews, I really appreciate them! Also, I will be updating as often as I can, but what with school, and riding, and dancing, and the baby (my mom's... I'm 16, I promise I haven't had a baby!! ha ha) and everything else, it might not be as often as it should. Please keep reading though! I will make it worth your while (don't get any ideas there, I just meant the story will be good YOU CREEPS!) love always, Bella.

* * *

**Christine Dane, don't make me come in there and get you! GET UP! **

Christine heard shouting coming from across her bedroom, and before she knew it, had fallen off of the bed in surprise.

As she rubbed her head to ease the ache she now felt, she looked to where she thought the shouting was coming, and groaned as her gaze fell onto her phone, still charging on her bureau like always. Only now, said phone was going off in the extremely annoying (although obviously effective) alarm Meg had recorded for Christine, in an effort to stop Christine from oversleeping.

_Damn phone, damn Meg, damn morning, _Christine ranted to herself, crossing the room and practically smashing her phone in an effort to turn the blasted shouting off.

Christine was still grumbling to herself as she emerged from the shower twenty minutes later, and started brushing through her curls.

_Well, at least I won't be late today, _she thought to herself.

This was good, she realized, now she will be on-time for the second day of practice, and hopefully will make a better impression than she did the day before.

As Christine was getting dressed in clothes she could dance in, her mind wandered to the agenda Paul was hoping to follow today. He had told the ballet, that today they would meet the singers and actors in the production, and would in fact see some of their rehearsal before starting their own for the day.

Christine could hardly wait. She was looking forward to hearing the voices of the singers, and the ways in which they rehearsed. In general, she was excited to see any and all aspects of a rehearsal at the Opera House.

Christine glanced over at Fred's humble abode, and quickly fed him. _I've had him for a week so far, and he's still kicking! Well not technically, more like he's still swimming. At least he's alive still! _thought Christine as she left her apartment and headed towards the elevator.

20 minutes later, after sitting through traffic, Christine made her way up the front steps of the Opera House for day two. She could feel the excitement in her rising, as she opened up the theatre doors and headed down the aisle towards a group of seats where she saw Meg and a few other ballet girls sitting.

Suddenly, Christine felt her knees buckle and her breathe hitch in her throat. She hadn't realized it upon her entrance, but there was music coming from the piano, and singing followed soon after. The singing was what had forced her into her trance, and as she listened her mind went blank, and she felt herself being calmed into a vegetative state from the voice.

There was a pause in the singer's voice as he took a breath (Christine was able to register somewhere in her brain that it was a male singing), and Christine broke from her trance almost violently, to look up at the stage to see who the owner of this magical voice was.

Her gaze fell upon a man in the center of the stage, who seemed to be the one singing. _Talented and hot, _was the first thought that came to Christine's mind when she looked at the singer.

It was true, he had a very good looking face, very masculine features, and as she took in the rest of him, she felt herself flush.

_He's quite fit, _she noted almost embarrassed by herself, taking in his very athletic physique.

Before she knew it, he was singing again, and she felt herself get washed away in a wave of emotion he was bringing to the song.

The song eventually ended, and Christine was able to think again. She looked up once more to the stage to notice that the singer must have been looking at her, because she caught his eyes on her for a second before he pulled away, just a little too quickly.

She felt herself blush again, something that was increasingly becoming a rather annoying habit, and she looked in the other direction, hoping against hope Meg had not noticed the whole interaction.

She was in luck as she found Meg engaged in a rather tedious conversation (or so thought Christine) about make-up and hair styling techniques, both of which were lost on Christine seeing as she didn't use make-up, and her hair looked the way it wanted to look, regardless of what she did to it.

Bored out of her mind by her friends chatter, Christine glanced back up at the stage, hoping to see the singer again.

She caught him standing on the far left side of the stage, talking with Paul the director about something.

Normally, Christine, who had very good manners, would never stare at someone...it was just plain rude. However, there was something about this man that pulled her in.

Something about the way he stood, sang, looked, all seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it.

She pulled her eyes away from the man and closed them in order to think about why he was familiar to her. She had to figure it out or she would be bothered by it all day.

Her mind wandered over the past few days, as she had a feeling that whatever he reminded her of, she had seen recently.

Suddenly it hit her, she had just watched the Phantom of the Opera movie a few nights ago, and he looked exactly like the Phantom!

No wonder she couldn't stop staring at him! She had always thought that the Phantom in the movie was sexy. She didn't know why really, particularly since he was so bizarre, but there was something about him that attracted her, just like there was something about this man that pulled her in.

Meg had always told her she was defected for being attracted to strange men like the Phantom character, but she didn't really care.

She opened her eyes again and glanced back at the man, trying to be discreet. Yep, he definitely looked like the Phantom.

Feeling better, she walked up to the stage with the rest of the ballet in order to get ready for their practice. She had been hoping to watch a little more of the actors rehearsal, but at the same time, she was excited like always to dance.

...

Erik was ecstatic. His plan had gone off perfectly.

Christine had arrived late like before, which had annoyed Erik at first, but he felt better by the end.

She had seemed to be caught in a trance by his voice like he was with her dancing. He had been so happy to watch her listen to him sing with a look of pure joy on her face.

After he had finished, he saw her looking at him intently, but not in a bad way, which had made him even happier. Their eyes had locked and for a minute Erik was completely happy. He figured that to most people, that would sound pretty pathetic, but he was not like most people.

Before long, it was time for the ballet practice.

Erik chose a seat in the back of the auditorium so that he could watch undisturbed.

When the music began, his eyes riveted towards Christine. She was up front again, and she was clearly one of the best dancers there.

Her movements were like liquid, continuously moving and flowing. Erik couldn't get enough.

Eventually though, the practice ended. Erik knew that Paul intended to make a special announcement. He had confronted Paul this morning and found out that Rosie, the Portuguese singer, was going to be replaced for this show. There was no way she could sing the part of Christine decently.

Erik had decided to stick around to see Rosie's reaction to this announcement. Sadistic as it may be, he was excited to see her get upset.

Paul called everyone, the actors, singers, and to Erik's surprise, the ballet, in to the seats so that he could address them from the stage.

"As you all know, we are performing the Phantom of the Opera. You may or may not be acquainted with the woman who usually stars in our productions, but this is Rosie." Paul said as he pulled Rosie from her chair and onto the stage with him.

"Rosie has been with us for over ten years, and in that time, she has become one of the most popular singers ever to grace this stage." Paul said.

In Erik's opinion, Paul was lying through his teeth.

"Unfortunately, the lead female role in the Phantom of the Opera is a character named Christine Daae. The role requires a very young woman with more of an English accent. I'm very sorry Rosie, we're going to need to put someone else in this role. However, we have the perfect part for you as Carlotta, the Opera Star. Rather fitting, don't you think?" Paul asked hesitantly.

No one liked to deal with Rosie, and everyone avoided setting her off. This however, was unavoidable.

Luckily Rosie did not cause much of a scene. She made a very displeased face, said something along the lines of "Good luck replacing me with some little brat," and stormed out the back doors of the theatre.

For her at least, that was not much of a scene.

Erik was a little disappointed with her lack of reaction, however, he was more than happy that she would not be starring once again.

He was standing up to leave when he heard the next part of Paul's announcement.

"Seeing as we do not have a cast member currently who fits the role of Christine, we will be holding auditions for the part. Anyone can try-out, although you must know that this part requires a skilled singer, so please do not audition if you are not such. Now, when I say anyone can try-out, I mean anyone. Actors feel free to try, singers of course, and even the ballet! If you would like to be in this show as a singer, please feel free to show us what you can do." Paul said, smiling when he saw the excitement on people's faces.

"The one thing I ask you to keep in mind is this; the role of Christine Daae requires a young girl, with a strong singing background, and I would like her to match the description somewhat. The characteristics I'm looking for will be posted on these fliers that are hung through the building. You will also see the time and date of the auditions on the fliers. Good luck everyone!" Paul finished with a big smile.

Paul exited the stage and left the auditorium and the excited crowd.

Erik was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Paul to allow the ballet to try-out, after all, they were here to dance. Not that it made much difference to Erik.

Vaguely, he wondered whether Christine would try-out. As far as looks and physical characteristics went, she could have the part without even trying. She even had the name for Christ's sake! Chances were she didn't sing though, Erik thought sadly.

In the back of his mind, he couldn't help imagining Christine getting the role, and them being the show together as the two stars.

Smiling a rare smile at his little fantasy, Erik glanced one more time at Christine before turning around and existing the auditorium.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry to all of my readers! My computer has been broken for a while...but I'm back now! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Meg and Christine were sitting on the floor of Christine's entertainment room, stuffing their faces with ice cream. Well, Meg was stuffing her face, Christine was too lost in her thoughts to think about food.

Two days ago, Paul had announced that girls in the ballet could audition for the main role in the play! Christine had been in shock, and for a few precious moments, she had envisioned herself onstage, singing as passionately as she could.

That vision had faded though as soon as she thought of the actual logistics involved in trying out. She would have to sing in front of _everyone,_ plus, there would be people who sang in the Operas regularly trying out. She really didn't stand a chance against any of them.

Also plaguing her were the memories of her father. The moment she considered auditioning, her mind was filled with memories of the two of them singing together at their old piano. Those visions weren't leaving her head anytime soon she feared.

She was determined not to even bother trying out for the part, since she would only end up rejected, and she would have to deal with the images of her father. Unfortunately, the wonderful dream of her being the star in the show would not vanish. All she could think about for the past two days had been that wish.

She was broken from these thoughts when she felt Meg's hand on her shoulder shaking her gently.

"Earth to Christine? _HELLO?!" _Meg said forcefully.

Christine's head snapped over to her friend. "Sorry, what were you saying Meg?"

Meg took a deep sigh and said gently, "Christine, you can't fool me. I know you were thinking about the auditions."

Christine made a start to shake her head no, but she saw the look on Meg's face, and she didn't want to lie to her best friend.

"You're right, I was thinking about them," Christine admitted sheepishly.

"Does that mean you will try out?!" Meg asked enthusiastically. She knew how much Christine wanted this, she just hoped she would go for it.

"No, I've decided I won't do it. I'm not going to get the part Meg," Christine said with a little frustration. "What's the point in getting my hopes up?" she asked in a small voice.

Meg paused. She knew how affected Christine had been by her father's death, but for Pete's sake, she had changed her whole future, her whole _dream _because she couldn't face the memories of him. There were times that you needed to grow up, and move on from things, and this was definitely one of those times.

"Christine, personally, I don't think you would be getting your hopes up for nothing. You could easily get the part if you sang like you used to with your father. I know that those memories are hard for you to face, but Christine, singing used to be your life! You can't end that completely just because another part of your life passed away. Your my best friend, you know I love you, but your only a shell of what you used to be. I want you to be happy! I think you _need _to audition." Meg said softly, trying to get as much of her speech out as she could before Christine could interrupt.

Christine sat in silence for a moment as she let her friends' advice sink in. Meg did make sense, she supposed. When her father had died, she shut off everything that reminded her of him, but that was like ending her life. She wasn't happy doing what she did now, knowing that she had always wanted to be a singer. If she auditioned, she would at least be giving herself a chance at moving on.

Slowly, Christine said, "I think you might be right Meg. I really do need to move on, and this is a good opportunity. I think I'm going to do it!"

Meg's face lit up when she heard Christine's words. It had worked! Her pep talk had actually worked, and now Christine was going to be doing what she should have been doing all along!" H_mm, maybe I should become a therapist_, Meg thought to herself.

"Christine!" she shrieked as she grabbed her friend in a hug, "I'm so proud of you! Your actually going to do it!"

Christine smiled back and nervously bit her lip, contemplating what this actually meant.

"I guess I'm going to have to find a song to sing. I had better practice before the auditions." Christine said thoughtfully, mainly to herself.

Meg's face froze. Her head turned slowly towards Christine's as she remembered with horror what tomorrow was.

"Christine, the auditions are tomorrow!" Meg said in panic.

Christine's eyes widened as she counted back the days since the announcement had been made. Meg was right! The auditions were tomorrow afternoon, and she had no song to sing, and she hadn't practiced in a long time.

Christine glanced behind Meg's head at the clock hung on the wall and saw that it was 5:45 pm. Her mind started reeling as she ran to her computer and quickly printed out a musical score and lyrics to her favorite song in the Phantom of the Opera movie. She hoped Paul wouldn't mind that she was singing something from the show.

In minutes she was standing back in the front room with a purse, shoes, and her music in hand.

"Meg, I'm so sorry, but I'm going to have to go to the Opera House to practice. I don't have a piano here!" Christine said in a panicked voice, thinking about all the work she still had to do.

"Don't sweat it, I'll drive you over. Thank god I brought my car!" Meg said, coming to Christines' rescue.

The girls fled the apartment, and sped down the New York streets until they reached the deserted Opera House. With a quick hug of encouragement from Meg, and a short mental pep talk to herself, Christine pushed open the doors and headed for the stage where she would practice.

* * *

Erik slammed his hands down on the piano keys in frustration.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that his calico cat Ayesha had scrambled out of the room; away from the noise.

Erik sighed deeply and ran his hands through his already disheveled hair. He had been feeling so inspired since he met Christine. His compositions, which for the past few months had been rather dry and bland, were now more creative than he ever dreamed they could be.

The problem now was that his old piano could not handle this burst of creative ideas. The keys were at least a pitch off, and most of them refused to make a noise when pushed down upon.

Erik knew that he could not continue composing in this state. He would have to go off to the Opera House and write using that piano; there was no other option.

Determined to do just that, Erik grabbed his composition paper, a jacket, and his car keys, and headed out the door.

...

When he arrived at the Opera House, Erik noticed that it looked abandoned. _Perfect, _he thought happily.

He made his way through the front door of the lobby and headed to the door of the stage. For some peculiar reason, he noticed a bar a light coming from beneath the door to the stage room, even though the lights were all suppose to be off. He assumed the janitors had forgot to turn them off when they left.

Just as he was about to push open the door, and make his way to the piano, noise caught his attention that changed his theory.

Someone was inside the theatre! _Damn, _he thought to himself, _I'm never going to get this aria written!_

He pushed his ear to the crack in the door, trying to see if he knew the person in there. _Maybe I can scare them away! _he thought bitterly, imagining himself showing the person his face to make them leave.

The sound he heard behind the door chased all thoughts away from his mind.

Someone was singing in the theatre. They weren't just singing though, what the person in that room was doing with their voice was purely magical.

Erik felt his senses go numb as he listened carefully to the gentle decrescendo of the voice as it got a soft part of the song. He had to find out who the singer was!

Erik pushed open the door of the theatre, thinking only of solving this mystery. The person he saw on-stage made his feet stick to the ground, and his throat drop into his stomach.

It was Christine! _She's an angel, she's absolutely divine!_

Erik's thoughts were now completely consumed by Christine. He couldn't believe he had thought she was perfect as a dancer! Her singing was so superb to her dancing abilities, that he wondered why she was even a dancer to begin with. She could easily be singing on the stages of Paris!

He smiled to himself in wonderment. She continued to amaze him; her looks, her dancing abilities, her paintings, and now, the most important thing of all, her singing! All of her was perfect!

Erik felt himself falling hard for Christine, and he didn't care. He hadn't even talked to her yet, but he knew that he loved this girl, at least on some level. She could turn out to be a spoiled princess, and Erik felt he would still love her abilities as an artist.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard a gasp coming from the direction of the stage.

Paranoid after getting that same reaction from the sight of his face for years, Erik turned his eyes guardedly to the stage, and discreetly made sure his mask was still in place.

Luckily, he realized that Christine was just shocked someone else was in the room.

Erik saw Christine panic at no longer being alone, and watched as she made a move to leave the stage. He couldn't have that though!

"Wait, don't leave!" Erik said, trying hard not to sound desperate. "I'm sorry I intruded, I didn't realize anyone was in here."

_Please stay, please stay, please stay, _he silently begged.

Christine's face turned what Erik considered to be a delightful shade of red as she turned to look at him. His breath caught in his throat as he once again admired her unbelievable beauty.

"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't be here," Christine said in a quiet timid voice which Erik was loving. "You probably have work to do for the show. I'll just leave."

_NO! _Erik's thoughts growled.

_"_Mademoiselle, please don't leave on my account," Erik pleaded gently, wondering why mademoiselle had slipped into his vocabulary.

Christine looked like she was about to protest staying there. It was obvious she felt uncomfortable about her voice.

"If I may say so," Erik began, hoping he could encourage her, or build her confidence. "That was the most beautiful singing I have ever heard!" He meant it too, it wasn't hard when he had to listen to Marie everyday for ten years!

Christine's face turned an even brighter shade of red, and Erik felt that he could melt on the spot. She was adorable.

"Forgive me, I'm being rude. My name is Erik. Erik Destler." Erik said, hoping she would introduce herself to him.

Christine smiled politely. "Nice to meet you Mr. Destler. I'm Christine Dane."

_Dane...Christine Dane...the most beautiful name in the world..._

"Please, call me Erik," he insisted to the shy girl.

"Only if you'll call me Christine." The girl replied.

_I guess she isn't so shy after all, _Erik thought with a smirk, happy to be learning more about her, and ecstatic that he was allowed to call her Christine.

He decided to push his luck. "Could you...I mean, would you mind..singing for me..again?" He asked, hoping she would say yes.

Christine's eyes widened in obvious surprise. Erik assumed she hadn't sung for anyone in a while...if ever.

"Are you auditioning tomorrow?" Erik asked with excitement. His fantasy was coming true! If Christine auditioned, there was no way she would be rejected. She was perfect for the part in every way!

"Um, well, I was thinking about it. I...I'm still not sure." Christine said shyly. Erik realized that he was probably making her uncomfortable. He wanted so badly to make her feel at ease.

"Christine, believe me when I tell you, that part is yours. Your singing is excellent, plus you look just like the character." Erik was telling the truth of course, but he felt like he was laying it on thick. He really wanted to encourage her, but what if he was just making her nervous? Her face was starting to look a little pale, although maybe a little hopeful at the same time.

"You know, I would love to help you get ready for the audition if you'd like," Erik said hesitantly. What was he doing? There was no way she would want help from a creep like him! He was practically her stalker for Christ's sake, although thank god she didn't know that...he hoped.

Christine's face brightened as she raised hopeful eye's to Erik's face. "Really, you could help me?"

Erik almost collapsed with joy. She actually wanted him to help her! This was probably the best night of his life... _that's probably a little sad buddy._

"Of course. I sort of know what to expect in these auditions." He said with a grin.

"You must be one of the main singers here then." Christine replied, with a small smile. "I thought I recognized you from the other day."

She remembered him!

Erik couldn't help but notice that she was looking at his face a little oddly. She couldn't see his mask could she? They were in a darkened room, and he thought it blended pretty well.

The moment passed, and Christine smiled at him again, obviously waiting for a reply.

"I've been in a few shows here and there," Erik said modestly, wanting to go back to their little lesson, and not draw attention to himself.

Erik then went and sat at the piano where Christine's musical score lay. All thoughts of his own composing were gone. Besides, he would probably be even more inspired after listening to more of Christine's singing tonight.

He noticed that the song she was singing was from the musical, which in his opinion was a smart move because then Paul could see that she could handle the material in the show. He also noticed that she had chosen one of the more difficult songs, with a vary high range.

_She must be a soprano, _he reasoned. Excited to hear her sing those higher notes, he asked her if she was ready, and began to play.

He noticed at first that her voice sounded a little shaky from nerves. After telling her to not think about him, or the audience she would have tomorrow, they continued with much improvement.

Christine's voice was even better now than it had been 20 minutes ago when he first heard her! He was in complete awe with the tiny woman standing in front of him, and he prayed to whatever higher being there was that Christine would get the part.

Christine's voice was soaring through the high notes as though it was the easiest thing on earth. Erik almost forgot to keep playing as his mouth hung open agape at her incredible abilities. He wished he could listen to her sing for the rest of his life!

After an hour, Erik announced that they should stop so that Christine would not hurt her voice.

Looking very excited, and maybe even proud, Christine looked at Erik and said, "I want to thank you so much for what you did tonight. I was struggling a little before you came, but I'm really feeling a lot better about tomorrow! I haven't sung like that in years!" She said in obvious joy.

"Your welcome. Thank you for the privilege of hearing you. You really are a marvelous singer." Erik said sincerely. _Marvelous doesn't even begin to cover her talent. She's just...perfect!_

Erik admired the flushed color her face had gained in her excitement and from the compliment. He could tell that singing was her passion; he just wondered why she wasn't pursuing it before tonight.

He decided he could wait to find out those answers later when they worked together. They would work together, he had decided, even if he had to convince Paul himself. He was sure it wouldn't come to that though. Christine's voice spoke for itself. She would get the part, and Erik would be one of the happiest men in the world.

As they said their goodbye's and Christine left the theatre, Erik sat down, thinking excitedly of tomorrow. His fingers hovered over the piano as he was hit with more inspiration than he thought possible.

His fingers darted over the keys of the piano as he began to rewrite the most wonderful experience of his life into song. The song played of love, and hope, and passion; it was all for her.


End file.
